TRANSPORT links across the Dales look likely to be improved under a £1m scheme which will also boost tourism and provide huge economic benefits.

The recently opened Wensleydale Railway could see its trains stopping at Bedale Station, in North Yorkshire, early next year if the proposed purchase of the station, by Hambleton District Council, goes ahead in the coming weeks.

The move will be welcomed by residents and will be a big investment for the market town, said county and district councillor John Weighell, of Bedale.

"It will definitely be a major plus for us and have a beneficial impact on tourism. If plans to extend the railway to Northallerton go ahead in the future, then the possibilities for people in this area are tremendous," he said.

The council said it is only weeks away from finalising the purchase of the station buildings - the station yard, station house, ticket office and waiting rooms - from David Kerfoot, of the Kerfoot Group.

Subject to planning permission, it hopes to see the station reopen as early as spring. This would achieve one of the key objectives of the Bedale and Villages Community Plan.

Cabinet spokesperson on economic development, Ralph Andrew, said that the station will be more than just a pick-up and drop-off point.

"This project will bring together tourist-related opportunities, improved transport links and office and working space to boost the role of Bedale as a vibrant town centre," he said.

"With the Yorkshire Forward-funded Renaissance Town Initiative also just beginning in Bedale, this is ideal timing for this project to act as a catalyst for revitalising the town".

Wensleydale Railway, which leases the 22-mile line between Northallerton and Redmire from Network Rail, has welcomed the move.

Its chief executive, Scott Handley, said: "The council will be helping us to deliver our vision to provide both effective transport links up the Dales and a significant tourist attraction.

"Reopening Bedale Station will be a great asset for the area - but particularly the market town of Bedale and go a long way towards our aim to get people from main line trains into the Dales."